Regrets
by ina-anna-etta
Summary: The last stand, after the last battle. Four students choose freedom. Twoshot.
1. Battles

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. **

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"_Are you happy now_?" She stood, as if it were a dream, before the man who she had admired. The man who she now hated. "You destroyed him. You gave him every chance in the world, them ripped them away. You manipulated him. Tell me, did you plan this, or was there a chance he might live? Did you want this, or did you truly believe that you had no choice?" She caught her breath in a half-sob, half-gasp. "Well, you got what you wanted. The world got what it wanted. He saved you, he saved us all, and you want more." She wavered and almost fell. Onlookers were gathering. They ignored them.

The man behind her caught her up in strong arms, his eyes as accusing as hers. "You knew what could have been done-what should have been done. You could have taken action. But you stayed, trusting in yourself so much that you would sacrifice…" His voice trailed off. She took up the tirade.

"Even in our first year, you planned the whole thing. You knew what was going to happen, you knew, and you didn't do anything. _Where would you be if he had failed in the beginning?_ Would you admit that you were mistaken, or would you say that it was Neville all along, that…he was an arrogant child spreading rumors about before he could walk?

"Well, congratulations. You got what you wanted. There's your noble, self sacrificing pawn. There's your hero, there's your legend. The world can be happy now." She fumbled at her shirt front, not caring that the badge she wore pierced her finger. "Here's your badge, keep your awards. I'm leaving." He followed her example, wordlessly removing his badge and throwing it next to hers.

The man stood stunned. Here was a girl, a student, an intelligent thing. He was offering her a high reward. And she was throwing it back in his face. This was not right. She was a child, one to be lead as needed. "This is not wise. With what I am offering you, countless opportunities would be opened to you. If you leave now…" he let her think on it. "Of course, you may retract you words, they were hasty, spoken in grief… not binding."

She met his eyes. "_I am not one of yours, Albus Dumbledore_. I am no pawn, to be moved on your chessboard. I am no sheep, to be herded at your will. I will make opportunities for myself, where I choose. And I do not choose this."

The man supporting her stared at him levelly. "Neither do I. I choose to follow my leader, my brother. My friend."

"Listen to me. Do not speak hastily. If you leave, I shall be shorthanded on heads. You have fulfilled your duties admirably." He turned to the boy, inserted the proper amount of pity into his eyes, and said gently, "Harry Potter is dead. You cannot follow him."

A new person entered the discussion. "He's not as dead as you would like to believe," she said. Leaning on her was a man, barely seventeen, barely standing. Albus kept his face carefully expressionless. "Congratulations, my boy. Few could have survived such a battle." He turned to the others. "As you see, there is no need for you to act so drastically."

"I recommend Neville Longbottom and Daphne Greengrass as the next Heads," the girl-the woman-said calmly. She reached for the others. The second woman took a hand in hers. The men remained as they were, supported and supporting. They vanished, without regret.


	2. Exhibeo verumi

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. **

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Dumbledore was perfectly correct in his assumptions. Harry should not have survived the final battle. But he had help.

Lavender had scried Snape, following him to his Death Eater meetings and discovering the strengths and weaknesses of the fortress.

Ron used the information from Lavender's scrying and Hermione's research to develop a strategy for Harry to defeat Voldemort.

Luna taught him an obscure branch of Occlumency that was designed specifically to give misleading images to the Legilimens. She also gave him a pendant made of the claw of a Nargle that was supposed to help him find his true love.

Neville found and Hermione brewed a potion that gave him the ability to block the pain from his scar so that he could concentrate on the cause at hand.

Percy provided them with the spell that partially blocked the ministry tracking charm on their wands when they learned that Dumbledore was using his connections to keep an eye on the magic they learned.

Dobby rallied the House Elves to their cause with Hermione's promise of never trying to free them again against their will. They did not report the more suspicious of Harry and his friends' behaviour to Dumbledore and blocked his view of the Room of Requirement altogether.

Ginny gave him love, so much that when he returned some of it, his cup still overflowed.

It was the Power the Dark Lord Knew Not: his ability to love. He had support, given willingly, that Voldemort's enforced servitude could not replicate.

Voldemort, unknowing, had weakened himself, night after night, invading Harry's mind. By the time Harry was able to learn Occlumency (it was rather difficult, blocking what was already in his mind) enough to misguide Voldemort to attack when he would be at his weakest, Hermione had found the spell that would rid the world of the Dark Lord forever.

In all of the planning, they knew that they could not return to the Wizarding World, not yet. Dumbledore would find a way to turn the defeat against them. He had gazed too long and too far into the abyss.

There came a time when they merely waited for Voldemort to weaken. It was then that they began to devise their plan.

It was almost too easy.

After the battle, they would take a Portkey to a pre-prepared place, in a very small town. It was the kind of town that was friendly to strangers, but kept the important secrets of their own to themselves.

Percy arranged for the magic detectors in the area to malfunction at a specific time. Harry, Hermione and Dobby went to the town while Neville and Lavender were Polyjuiced to be them. They set up wards that were keyed to their essences: the ministry detectors would not be able to detect any magic done by Harry, Hermione, Ron or Ginny, and all of them would be alerted if any magical being came within the town boundaries. Apparators and Portkeys would be gently shunted aside, so that the traveler would think that he had merely misjudged his destination.

There was some difficulty over the housing arrangements. The only place open was a semi-detached, and they didn't want the gossip that would sprout up over that. Someone would be talking to their granddaughter or niece or auntie and would mention 'those young people… four of them in one house… don't know _what_ their parents taught them...' and the relative would mention it to someone else, and it would eventually get to some muggle-born witch who is _extremely _grateful to Dumbledore, so they would backtrack along the rumor trail, and eventually find that a 'Harry, Ron, Jane and Jenny' had moved in just after You-Know-Who was defeated, then tell Dumbledore or (worse) the Daily Prophet, and their game would be blown.

It was Hermione who came up with the solution.

"We don't want them gossiping about us, but that house is our only option." She sighed. "If they only knew us, or at least _of_ us, they'd kn- _that's it!"_ she jumped up.

"If they knew Ron, they wouldn't dream on even suggesting that he would let Ginny live with her boyfriend. But since we don't, even if we maintain the 'no romance' thing, there will still be gossip."

"And that's our problem," said Ginny. She clearly thought that the strain had been too much for Hermione. "Gossip. We've covered that."

"No! Listen. Meet Jane," she gestured to herself, "and Harry," she pointed at Harry, "Patterson. Siblings. Harry is the over-protective older brother who wouldn't dream of letting his baby sister live with a boy until she's married. They're on one side of the house. Now meet Ron and Jenny Westlaw, living in the other half of the house, who are in the same boat." She held her hand to Ron and Ginny. "They've been friends since they were in diapers, and when they saw the semidetached, they fell in love with it and moved in. Problem solved. We just have to be careful not to show any affection in public."

"Not quite," Ginny put in. If we stay there for years, either you and Ron will kill each other or want to get married. Same for me and Harry." She paused. "How are ewe going to work that?"

"Simple. As soon as another place opens up, two of us move out, and the dating begins. It might take longer than we'd like, but…" she shrugged.

So that's what they did. Hermione found a job clerking and interning at the local clinic, Harry at a dry goods store, and Ginny took all advantage of their situation.

They needed someone to filter through any odd news stories about them. It so happened that the house they bought had become vacant because the former occupants (a news journalist and his photographer) had left to seek bigger stories in the city.

Ginny applied and was instantly accepted, especially since she brought her own photographer. Ron took lessons from Colin Creevey and found that he enjoyed it.

So, when the battle was over, they took the portkey to a stand of trees just out of sight of the town and took one of Neville's potions that ensured that they would appear to be five years older.

Harry and Hermione worked to transfigure a rotting log into a small moving van, and they arrived and set up their house with a minimum of fuss (since furniture had come with the house) and the next day they began their life as muggles.

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Five years later, an owl swooped in under the cover of night. The letter carried the seal of the Ministry of Magic Harry opened it and saw that it was from Percy.

It stated that Dumbledore had died, and everyone else was eagerly awaiting their return, _Exhibeo verum-i._

Jenny Patterson looked at her husband. Her look clearly stated that she wanted to return.

Jane Westlaw said what they all were thinking, "I'm getting bored. So are you. But I won't go back without you, unless you want to. You've got the most to lose."

Ron Westlaw said the rest. "We're with you, mate."

A slow smile spread over Harry Patterson's face. "I'll miss this place."

He paused, then said, "Let's go back."

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_Harry and Ginevra Potter returned to the wizarding world in 2003 with Ronald and Hermione Weasley, where they lived out their days in Ottery St. Catchpole, near the home of Arthur and Molly Weasley and close to the home of Luna Lovegood and Neville and Susan Longbottom._

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_Fin._


End file.
